Finchel AU
by cyborg-lunar-princess
Summary: Rachel is a barista with a passion of singing, and Finn is a heartbroken football player. When their paths meet on an ordinary day, they discover they have an extraordinary connection.


The door slammed inside the Lima Bean, causing Rachel Berry to look up from where she was carefully positioning the pastry case. A tall, high-school aged boy was stomping in, and looking closer, Rachel realized it wasn't just any high school boy-it was _Finn Hudson_ , captain of the McKinley High football team and, in Rachel's opinion, very attractive. Right now, though, he looked angry as he approached the counter.

Rachel quickly straightened up, brushed off her apron, and tucked stray hairs behind her ears. She cleared her throat. "What can I get you?" she asked.

"Um…" Finn squinted at the menu. "Sorry, I don't come here often."

"That's alright," Rachel said, fiddling with her ponytail. "Are you more of a coffee or tea person?"

He wrinkled his nose. "Uh, neither really," he said. Then he shook his head. "Sorry. I don't know why I came here. I just needed to...get out."

"Bad day?" Rachel asked. He snorted.

"You could say that."

Peeking over his shoulder, Rachel saw the only other customers were two older ladies sipping coffee from chipped mugs and doing crossword puzzles. "I know something you might like," she told him. "No coffee, promise."

"Okay," Finn nodded. He looked really distraught, Rachel noticed, grabbing a plastic cup. She filled a blender with ice, chocolate, and various other ingredients, checking and double checking to make sure her boss wouldn't pop up out of nowhere. The frozen hot chocolate was an off-menu item, mainly because Rachel had only ever made it for herself. But it always cured her bad days, and Finn certainly seemed to need that.

She poured the drink into the plastic cup, swirling whipped cream and chocolate syrup on top. She grabbed a napkin and set two chocolate chip cookies on it before heading to where Finn was waiting.

"Here," she smiled. He took both the drink and napkin gratefully, sipping it immediately.

"That's really good," he complimented her.

"Thanks." _Please tell me I'm not as red as I feel_ , she thought desperately. "It always helps me when I'm having a rough day."

"Well," Finn said, his face darkening like a storm cloud, "I could certainly use that."

"Do you, uh, want to talk about it?" Rachel asked nervously. She didn't want to pry, but Finn had always seemed indestructible to her. Even when he supposedly joined the glee club, he had shrugged off the teasing like it was no big deal. And his girlfriend, the ever emotional Quinn Fabray, appeared to adore him. Rachel had always admired him from afar, but hadn't ever spoken with him until now.

"I don't know," Finn said honestly. "I'm not quite sure how I feel right now. Does that make sense?"

Rachel laughed. "Most people feel that way sometimes."

"I guess talking about it couldn't hurt."

"Let's sit down," Rachel gestured, leading him to a small table in the corner, close enough to the kitchen for her to zip back in case a customer came. But the afternoon had been dull and empty, so the odds of that were slim. "So, what happened?"

"It's a really long story," Finn sighed. "It's my girlfriend."

"Quinn?" Rachel asked, before she could stop herself. Finn looked up in surprise.

"Yeah-wait, do you go to McKinley?" he asked.

She blushed. "I'm a sophomore, but I, uh, miss a lot of school. For work."

"Oh. Well, yeah, Quinn. A couple months ago I found out she was pregnant."

"Really?" Rachel tried to imagine flawless, cheerleader-captain Quinn with a bloated belly. The image felt wrong in her mind. "I didn't know that-oh. I see why you're upset."

Finn shook his head. "That's not it. Today, I learned-I'm not the father. My-best friend is." When he said "best friend", his face contorted, as if the words hurt to say.

Rachel clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry," she said. She couldn't even imagine what that must feel like. Her best friend was Jessie St. James, so of course the situation wouldn't be the same anyway. Still, she felt a great rush of affection toward Finn. She realized she hadn't taken the time to see him as anything but a popular boy. Of course, he had problems just like everyone else. "I can only imagine how angry you must feel."

Finn sipped his hot chocolate. "I just don't understand how I'm supposed to feel about this," he said, and he looked as vulnerable as a puppy.

Rachel set her hand on his wrist. "Feel whatever you want," she told him. It was the best advice she had; her dads had always encouraged showing emotion. "Whatever you have to feel."

"I _feel_ like punching him in the face!" Finn said loudly. He didn't seem to be talking directly to Rachel, just talking in general. "How could they both lie to me?" he asked her.

"I-I don't know, Finn," she said helplessly. His shoulders relaxed.

"I'm sorry," he groaned. "I didn't mean to yell. Mr. Shuester has always told me to try and control my temper."

"Isn't he that Spanish teacher?" Rachel asked, trying to change the subject.

"And Glee club coach," Finn nodded.

"I'd forgotten you were in Glee club," Rachel smiled. "How is it?"

"It's...fine," Finn said. "I like it, but it doesn't do a lot for my popularity, you know?"

Rachel sighed. "I know. I used to be involved in it, with Mr. Ryerson? But…" She trailed off. The truth was, money got tight. Rachel had to all but drop out of school to help keep her family in their home, so things like Glee club were cut out from her life. "I sort of lost interest," she shrugged.

"Mr. Shue is way cooler than that guy," Finn grinned. "So you sing?"

Rachel fidgeted a little. "I guess."

"You should come check out Glee club now," Finn suggested.

 _At least his mind is off of Quinn_ , Rachel thought, even though her checking out the club was out of the question. "Maybe," she said anyway.

"What's your name, anyway?" Finn asked, before his eyes dropped down to her nametag. "Oh, sorry...Rachel?"

"Yeah, and you're Finn," Rachel grinned shyly. "Football captain Finn."

Finn groaned at that. "Did I say something wrong?" Rachel asked nervously.

"No, it's not you!" Finn said in a rush. "It's just-it was nice to talk to someone who didn't think of me as just a football captain."

"Oh," Rachel blushed. "Well-do you prefer guy-who-inhales-chocolate chip cookies?" She joked, nodding toward the crumb littering his napkin. Finn laughed.

"Much better," he said. He checked his phone. "Um, I should probably go…"

"Of course," Rachel nodded.

"I hope you come to Glee club," he smiled at her, one side of his mouth quirking upward. Rachel looked down at her hands.

"Sure," she said, against her better judgement.

"See you around, then," Finn looked her way once as he left the restaurant, leaving Rachel standing by the table, lost in her thoughts.


End file.
